Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Medellin Cost of Living Comparison Between Cartagena and Medellin

😐 Solo nomad: Cartagena is 19% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 37.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Cartagena is 32.8% more expensive than Medellin without rent, and 19.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$13.72 €11.71
$6.03 COP 22.7K
127.53%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$58.2 €49.67
$33.17 COP 124.8K
75.34%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.04 €6.86
$7.29 COP 27.4K
10.29%
Cappuccino
$2.66 €2.27
$1.63 COP 6,134
63.19%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.42 €2.07
$1.05 COP 3,948
130.48%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.04 €1.74
$0.77 COP 2,899
164.94%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.42 €2.92
$1.73 COP 6,511
97.69%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.39 €2.90
$3.18 COP 12.0K
6.60%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.07 COP 4,016
6.54%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 €0.86
$1.31 COP 4,935
-22.90%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.67 €1.42
$1.38 COP 5,196
21.01%
Eggs
$2.82 €2.41
$2.25 COP 8,458
25.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.51 €9.83
$4.48 COP 16.9K
156.92%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.41 €7.18
$5.74 COP 21.6K
46.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$13.86 €11.83
$8.86 COP 33.4K
56.43%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 €1.93
$2.24 COP 8,440
0.89%
Banana (1kg)
$1.78 €1.52
$1.06 COP 3,989
67.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.40 €1.20
$1.51 COP 5,698
-7.28%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.76 €1.50
$1.36 COP 5,120
29.41%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 €1.08
$1.12 COP 4,219
12.50%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 €0.94
$1.17 COP 4,401
-5.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 €0.93
$0.90 COP 3,396
21.11%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52 €0.44
$0.84 COP 3,150
-38.10%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.93 €5.07
$2.26 COP 8,502
162.39%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.66 €4.83
$9.97 COP 37.5K
-43.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.14 €0.98
$1.18 COP 4,452
-3.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.30 €1.11
$2.39 COP 8,995
-45.61%
🚌 Getting Around
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.35 €1.15
$0.86 COP 3,234
56.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$11.61 €9.91
$41.45 COP 156.0K
-71.99%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.55 €3.03
$1.47 COP 5,522
141.50%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.24 €1.06
$1.95 COP 7,324
-36.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.59 €21.00
$7.76 COP 29.2K
216.88%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.82 €1.56
$0.97 COP 3,641
87.63%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$31.0K €26.5K
$17.9K COP 67.6M
72.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$30.9K €26.4K
$26.7K COP 100.6M
15.76%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$142 €121
$81.1 COP 305.2K
75.23%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.35 €11.40
$9.40 COP 35.4K
42.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.45 €26.01
$23.61 COP 88.8K
28.97%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$38.46 €32.85
$25.55 COP 96.1K
50.53%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$14.91 €12.73
$19.29 COP 72.6K
-22.71%
Cinema Ticket
$8.24 €7.03
$4.10 COP 15.4K
100.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 €369
$306 COP 1.2M
41.16%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$2,727 €2,329
$5,899 COP 22.2M
-53.77%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$44.39 €37.91
$59.8 COP 225.1K
-25.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.73 €27.10
$31.96 COP 120.3K
-0.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$44.91 €38.35
$103 COP 386.5K
-56.27%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$76.3 €65.2
$108 COP 406.0K
-29.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$785 €670
$483 COP 1.8M
62.43%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$614 €524
$377 COP 1.4M
62.69%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$899 €767
$822 COP 3.1M
9.38%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$778 €665
$721 COP 2.7M
7.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,836 €1,568
$2,784 COP 10.5M
-34.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,477 €1,262
$1,320 COP 5.0M
11.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cartagena
Medellin
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,864 €1,592
$538 COP 2.0M
246.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.44
13.43
-74.39%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cartagena: March 2, 2026

Last update for Medellin: March 3, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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